1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and a method for recognizing the taste of an object to be recognized.
2. Description of the Related Art
Oral medicines such as a tablet, a troche, a powder have various tastes. The taste of such an oral medicine is recognized by a method using a so-called sensory test in which a human being called a panel member or a panelist actually takes and tastes the medicine. Moreover, recently, in order to eliminate the influence of the difference among individual panelists and their physical conditions, a lipid membrane taste sensor for performing taste recognition by measuring membrane potentials by the use of artificial lipid membranes and polymers and an ion sensitive FET (Field Effect Transistors) taste sensor appear on the market, and by using these taste sensors, the taste of the oral medicine can be recognized objectively (without a human being). Conventionally, when the taste of an oral medicine other than a liquid medicine is recognized by using such a taste sensor, the taste is measured by completely dissolving or suspending the oral medicine in 80 ml to 100 ml of water and putting the taste sensor in a solution or a suspension.
In an actual mouth, however, the oral medicine in a solid or semi-solid state is seldom dissolved completely, and a tongue tastes the oral medicine which has started to dissolve by a small quantity of saliva secreted at about 1 ml per minute. Therefore, in a conventional method of completely dissolving the oral medicine in 80 ml to 100 ml of water or anything to measure the taste by the taste sensor, the tastes of oral medicines other than the liquid medicine can not be recognized in a state close to actuality.